1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to well production systems, and in particular to a hydraulic seal and check valve between a tubing hanger and a wellhead member for providing hydraulic fluid to a hydraulically operated safety valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Downhole safety valves are often used in well production systems. These downhole safety valves are connected into the production tubing string and are designed to shut-off flow through the production tubing string in the case of a malfunction so as to avoid a blowout. Most downhole safety valves are hydraulically operated. Hydraulic pressure maintains the valve in the open position. Removal or interruption of the hydraulic pressure causes the safety valve to shut-off flow through the production tubing string.
A hydraulic line extends to the downhole safety valve from the surface to provide the safety valve with hydraulic fluid pressure. The hydraulic fluid line extends alongside the production tubing string. There are different techniques for connecting the hydraulic fluid line to the exterior of the wellhead or tree. In one type, the wellhead has an annular seal surface in its bore. The tubing hanger has a mating surface which mates with the annular seal surface. A number of hydraulic pas-sages extend through the wellhead and terminate at the seal surface in the bore for supplying hydraulic fluid for various purposes. Similarly, the tubing hanger has a number of hydraulic passages terminating at the mating surface. Seals are located at each of the ports to seal the interface when the tubing hanger lands.
When running the tubing and tubing hanger into the well, it is important to keep the hydraulic passages free of any debris. This can be a problem in the case of a subsea well where the tubing hanger is lowered through a riser in deep water. Also, when running the tubing string, it is necessary to keep the downhole safety valve in an open position, allowing well fluid to flow up the tubing. Otherwise, a pressure differential will exist above the downhole safety valve due to hydrostatic fluid in the well. This differential could cause the tubing to collapse.
In the prior art, the downhole safety valve is held in an open position by a mechanical sleeve that is placed in the valve as the valve is installed in the tubing string. After the tubing hanger has landed in the wellhead, the operator runs a retrieval tool through the tubing string on a wire line to latch into the sleeve and retrieve it, allowing the downhole safety valve to close. While this works well in most occasions, a possibility exists that the sleeve will stick and require the tubing to be pulled for removal of the sleeve.